Pete Murray: Game Plan.

The Game Boy

Pete Murray launches The Game at the Arena on Friday.

“Lines is by far the rockiest track on the album,” Pete Murray explains. Now based in Melbourne after many years on the Brisbane circuit, the songwriter and bandleader is set to release his debut album The Game. While Pete has given us a taste previously of the depth of his talents, with the EP D Day and the Lines single, it’s only in the context of a full-length recording that you begin to get a feel for his true meter.

“There’s a couple of solo songs on the album and the rest of it is all band stuff. We did most of the recording in February last year, so it’s been finished for over twelve months, and we put out the EP first to see what kind of fell was out there. We’ve had some pretty good feedback so far. We’ve got to sit back and watch how it all goes.”

Both tracks from the aforementioned EP and single made it onto the final recording, and the Brisbane launch show will give the audience a taste of the full band sound on the album.

“I’ve actually got two bands now,” he explains. “One down in Melbourne and one in Brisbane. It’s the same material, but just with different people. It’s a different flavour. In Brisbane there’s sometimes two guitars and bass and the Rhodes, sax and flute. The guys swap instruments around a bit. Down here in Melbourne it’s just drums and bass and guitar and Rhodes. That’s it. It’s a bit of a stripped back feel. The songs are played pretty much the same way, but there’s a bit of a different feel. As a soloist it’s easier to do it that way.”

“I had to make the move to Melbourne because there’s only so much you can play in Brisbane before you saturate the place. There are a lot more venues here, and a lot more people too that are supportive of music. As you know, the Valley is a pretty small area, but down in Melbourne you’ve got maybe half a dozen areas like the Valley where you can go and see a band or play. There’s a good music scene down here.”